Advertise on podcast: Grief Magic: Rituals, Stories & Gentle Conversations about Loss

In this episode of the Grief Magic podcast, I reflect on the relationship between grief and the changing seasons. As spring returns, we explore what happens in nature during winter dormancy and how the quiet preparation of plants and trees mirrors many human emotional processes. The episode introduces gentle practices for connecting with nature, including seasonal observation, small acts of ecological care, and growing flowers such as cosmos and sweet peas. Rather than expecting nature to “heal” grief, this conversation invites us to experience the natural world as a quiet companion through cycles of loss and renewal. You are welcome to join the spring season of Soft Monday sessions over here: https://griefmagic.com/blessings/ Love, Yarrow

In this episode, I explore the idea of romantic friendship and the many ways humans create intimacy outside traditional relationship structures. I talk about how the nuclear family seems to lose its hold as a primary way of relating and about the ways in which not being able to form a traditional family can still feel like a loss.  Whether you are queer or not, as always I hope that this episode feels validating to your beautiful, unique way of being in the world and forming relationships that actually work for you.  You are welcome to join the spring season of Soft Monday sessions over here: https://griefmagic.com/blessings/ Love, Yarrow

In this beautiful conversation with Skylar Rose we talk about aging, identity shifts, and the quiet, often unacknowledged grief that can accompany transitions like career changes, menopause, empty nests, or letting go of versions of ourselves that no longer fit. Skylar speaks beautifully about what it means to cross these thresholds with intention, and about the importance of feeling held as we move from one chapter of life into another. What stayed with me most is Skylar’s description of midlife as a kind of unveiling. The coping mechanisms and expectations we once relied on can begin to fall away, inviting us into a deeper relationship with ourselves. We speak about the possibility that can emerge in this time of life, the courage to live more truthfully, to release external approval, and to imagine new ways of being. It’s a gentle, thoughtful conversation about aging, grief, possibility, and the beauty of allowing our lives to hold many truths at once. Skylar Liberty Rose is a meditation teacher and pro-aging advocate who helps midlife women embrace aging with confidence and purpose. Her work has reached thousands of women worldwide, inspiring deep transformation. Through her signature Elevations — personalized guided meditations for life transitions and goals — Skylar offers tailored support that delivers tangible results. Her clients move beyond ageist stereotypes, challenge anti-aging culture, and step into purposeful, empowered change. https://www.skylarlibertyrose.com You are welcome to join the spring season of Soft Monday sessions over here: https://griefmagic.com/blessings/ Love, Yarrow

In this episode of the Grief Magic podcast, I reflect on what it means to live with limited capacity in a culture that constantly demands more. Looking at historical shifts in work patterns, the rise of the 24 hour information cycle, and the impact of recent UK policies around disability and employment, this episode explores how feelings of exhaustion and overwhelm are often structural rather than personal. I also reflect on how industrialisation shaped modern ideas of productivity and worth, and how these ideas continue to influence how we judge ourselves today. As always my hope is that listening makes you feel less alone and that you know you are beautiful and worthy regardless of what you produce.  You are welcome to join the spring season of Soft Monday sessions over here: https://griefmagic.com/blessings/ Love, Yarrow

In this episode, I’m exploring journaling, narrative psychology, and the idea of romanticising everyday life. This winter I returned to journaling in a more visual way and began noticing how colour, collage and imagery can reveal emotional patterns that text alone sometimes hides. From there I became curious about narrative psychology, the idea that we understand our lives through the stories we tell about our experiences. Research suggests that consciously revisiting and reshaping these narratives can support healing, especially for trauma survivors and neurodivergent people. I also reflect on a recent conversation about romance and how I realised that I want to be romantic with everyone I love, not only in the context of partnership. You can join our free monthly sessions here: https://griefmagic.com/free-monthly-spark-sessions/ Love, Yarrow

In this episode, I’m sharing more practical reflections on making friends as an adult after a more waffly episode last week. Friendships or the lack of feeling really known can bring up grief, awkwardness, hope, and so much longing. I wanted to offer a few grounded ideas for building connection in ways that feel sustainable, especially if you’re neurodivergent, sensitive, queer, living with disability, or simply navigating a changing season of life. We explore: Doing an honest assessment of what actually makes you feel connected Creating space to be yourself and to unmask gently Joining spaces where you feel welcomed and where your way of relating is understood Spending time in nature as a relational practice, noticing who is there, watching the seasons, and becoming intimate with the landscape Hosting the spaces you wish existed, online or offline If friendship has felt hard lately, I hope this episode leaves you feeling less alone, and more resourced to take one small step toward the kind of companionship you want. You are also welcome to join our weekly sessions, the self-study Grief Glimmers course or my free monthly Spark sessions over at https://griefmagic.com/ Love, Yarrow

In this episode, I’m talking about loneliness, the lingering impact of lockdown, and what it can feel like to make friends as an adult. So many of us experience loneliness at least sometimes, especially in a world shaped by social media, remote work, changing friendships, and the long imprint of the pandemic. I reflect on how disability, chronic illness, and neurodivergence can make conventional social scripts harder to follow, and how our nervous systems can hold both a need for connection and a need for solititude. I also share a little about moving to Scotland without an established social network, and what helped me slowly rebuild connection in ways that actually felt good. Here is the sign up for the decluttering fundraiser workshop I mentioned: https://griefmagic.com/spring-cocoon/ Love, Yarrow

In this episode, I’m in conversation with trauma-informed somatic practitioner and educator Darshana Avila about the relationship between grief, pleasure, and aliveness. We explore how pain and joy are not opposites, but part of the same spectrum of being human. Darshana shares how her work has evolved from sacred sexuality and body-based healing into a broader exploration of what she calls “erotic wholeness” — not limited to sex, but rooted in life force, creativity, grief, connection and presence. We talk about: How grief and pleasure can coexist The idea of eros as aliveness rather than performance The role of community and ritual in grief Moving beyond binary ideas of “good” and “bad” emotions Trauma-informed ways of relating to ourselves Darshana Avila is a trauma-informed somatic educator, practitioner and international speaker who helps people reconnect with the most essential aspects of themselves — their truth, their desires, and their capacity for profound pleasure and power.  Known for her grounded, candid, and relational approach, she bridges the worlds of erotic embodiment, trauma healing and self actualization. Darshana’s work has been featured on Netflix’s Sex, Love & goop, The Guardian, The New Yorker, and numerous leading podcasts. darshanaavila.com  instagram.com/darshana_avila youtube.com/@darshana-avila linkedin.com/in/darshana-avila You can join monthly Spark sessions with Yarrow over here: https://griefmagic.com/free-monthly-spark-sessions/ Thank you for listening! Love, Yarrow

In this gentle solo episode, I’m sharing some thoughts about how I’ve slowly shaped my home into a place that feels like a cocoon, somewhere to truly rest. I talk about why cocooning begins with decluttering rather than buying more, how choosing a simple colour landscape (for me, green and pink) creates visual calm, and why I love filling my space with natural textures like cotton, linen, and velvet (often second hand). We explore how light moves through a home, how to create different zones for work and rest, the magic of soft lighting, scent, and a few small rituals that help a space feel protected and intentional. This is not an episode about perfect interiors, i’s about tending to the space that tends to you. Here is the sign up for the decluttering fundraiser I mentioned: https://griefmagic.com/spring-cocoon/https://griefmagic.com/spring-cocoon/ Thanks for listening! Love, Yarrow

In this short solo episode, I’m inviting you to join a soft, companionable decluttering workshop we’ll be doing together on March 8th from 4–6pm (UK time). Making space can be emotional as much as practical and doing it alone can feel overwhelming, so this workshop is a gentle spring reset. We’ll begin with a short pep talk and a simple, kind approach to decluttering, then spend time quietly clearing our spaces side by side. We’ll check in together and continue for a second session. The workshop is also a fundraiser to support a dear friend’s family in Sudan who urgently need help right now. You can sign up here: https://griefmagic.com/spring-cocoon/ Love, Yarrow

In this Ask Me Anything episode, I’m answering some personal questions about my life, my history, and what feels meaningful to me right now. I talk about what I was like at school, my relationship with work, gratitude, grief, and the quieter rhythms that support me. If this episode sparks questions of your own, you’re very welcome to send them in for future Ask Me Anything episodes: https://speakpipe.com/yarrowm You can join the Monday sessions here: https://griefmagic.com/blessings/ and sign up for the grief glimmers course here: https://griefmagic.com/courses/ Sending love, Yarrow

In this episode of Grief Magic, I explore scent as a gentle companion during slow, tender, or inward seasons of life. We talk about how smell can support emotional regulation, memory, and meaning making, and how working with scent can become a quiet ritual rather than another thing to get right. I share a simple introduction to aromatherapy, including what it is and what it is not, and how to approach essential oils in ways that feel intuitive, sustainable, and accessible. We look at how scent can act as an anchor through grief, burnout, recovery, and periods of change, offering continuity and comfort without requiring words. If you like, you can join our Monday sessions here: https://griefmagic.com/blessings/ and you can join my newsletter over here: https://griefmagic.com/ Thank you for listening! Love, Yarrow

In this beautifully imaginative conversation, I’m joined again by Zoë from The Runa School to explore how ritual and play can come together to help us navigate grief, transformation, and everyday life. You can listen to our first conversation on the Kind Business podcast over here.  Zoë shares how her work designing ritual games grew from her studies in rites of passage and her deep interest in how we can bring the sacred and the playful into conversation. We talk about the ritual game she created for me, The Grandmother’s Quilt, and how this experience opened a space for healing, intimacy with the land, and a sense of being witnessed in grief. Together we explore: How ritual games bridge devotion, creativity, and play What it means to be seen and held in moments of transformation The healing power of simple, repeated acts of presence What it looks like to root into community, ancestry, and the land How we might bring ritual and reflection into workplaces and everyday life Zoë also shares her vision for the future of The Runa School: bringing ritual games into collective spaces and reimagining our relationship with technology, storytelling, and community care. Zoë Ackerman is a co-founder of Mycelios, a game design studio, and Runa, a school dedicated to teaching and learning animist ritual. Zoë draws on over a decade of experience in participatory design, rites of passage, and embodied storytelling. Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia, Zoë now lives in Curitiba, Brazil, on the ancestral lands of the Guarani, Kaingang, and Xetá peoples. You can find Zoë’s work and sign up for her newsletter at runa.school. You can join our weekly glimmer sessions here: https://griefmagic.com/blessings/ and this is the link to my business group program Rooted: https://pinkwellstudio.com/rooted/ Thank you for listening! Love, Yarrow

Enrollment for Rooted 2026 closes this Sunday, January 25th, and I would love for you to join us. In this short episode, I’m sharing what to expect inside the program and a few new updates that make it an even more beautiful experience. You’ll hear about:🌿 The six themes we’ll explore together in Rooted✨ The new series of short pep talks you can download and listen to anytime🕯️ Two new Sunday co-working sessions for peaceful focus and accountability💛 The new six-month payment plan and sliding-scale options (starting at £50/month) If you’ve been thinking about joining but haven’t said yes yet, this is your moment. Rooted begins on Saturday, February 1st, and I can’t wait to get started. 👉 Learn more and enroll here: https://pinkwellstudio.com/rooted

Today I want to talk to you about something really simple but surprisingly life-changing:  the emotional support bag. I started this practice in 2021, after my friend Francis died. I was deep in grief, and at the time I was mostly homebound due to an accident and lockdown. My days blurred together and it was just hard to keep track of things. I noticed that the things that could give me comfort, like a soft blanket, a lip balm, my stimmy toy or a good smell were always scattered around the house. So I began gathering them into a small zip pouch that I could keep near me at all times. Over time this became what I call my emotional support bag. It’s small enough to fit in my backpack, but full of things that make moving through the day easier. I know this is super simple, but its also great magic.  Here are the two links I mentioned:  Weekly Glimmer sessions https://griefmagic.com/blessings/ Rooted group program https://pinkwellstudio.com/rooted/ Thanks for listening! Love, Yarrow